


Beauty

by IceNChrome



Series: What Happens on The Terror and Erebus... [3]
Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Delusional Francis, M/M, Pining, Plotting, Reflection on Past Relationship, Salty Cornelius, Watching Someone Sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 16:42:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21377266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceNChrome/pseuds/IceNChrome
Summary: Cornelius is still salty about his break-up with Billy. Francis is happily embracing his newest addiction, and ready to avoid all of the things.
Relationships: Captain Francis Crozier/Cornelius Hickey, William Gibson/Cornelius Hickey
Series: What Happens on The Terror and Erebus... [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1528343
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Beauty

**Author's Note:**

> So these two. Talk about toxic and so not-good. :/

The new object of the captain’s affection was indeed sitting at a table full of his acquaintances, quietly half-listening to them gripe about their day out in the cold, or pine for their women back home. His mind was divided between how best to leverage his position with Crozier without being too obvious on one side and shoving it in Billy’s face and being totally obvious on the other. He was still angry about what Billy had done to him. ‘Devious Seducer’ indeed! He’d show Billy a thing or two about devious seduction! He’d show everyone in good time. 

His reverie was interrupted by a loud voice braying, “What about you, Hickey? You got someone waitin’ on you, or you got all you need right here?” 

Cornelius narrowed his eyes at the man who dared ask that question as the others snickered. He favored the group with a self-satisfied smirk and got up from the table. 

“Gentlemen.” He said and nodded, taking his leave. 

_Soon enough you’ll see what all I have right here!_ He seethed inwardly.

He hoped he’d hear from Crozier again tonight, but planned to politely refuse if he did. He wanted to make the Captain yearn for it a bit more. Make him want it until he panted after Cornelius like a lovesick puppy. Their tryst last night had far surpassed his expectations. He closed his eyes and sighed as he recalled the moment Crozier picked him up and slammed him against the wall. His cock twitched, and he felt like he might have to go get some relief if he thought about it too much. He entertained a few more lurid fantasies about how he’d make those that teased and mocked him suffer after he wrapped Crozier around his little finger. 

And of course, his vengeful thoughts turned again to Billy. All those times Billy had stared at him with beseeching eyes, all those clandestine glances and touches. Brushing up against each other more than is necessary, hands bumping, sitting as close to each other as they dared. Billy had stared at him with cow’s eyes for two straight weeks before he made any advances to Cornelius. Maybe all that hesitation should have been a warning of things to come. 

Mr. Gibson was a jumpy sort at times. Always nervous and anxious and full of worries. Did someone see them? Were they being too loud? What would they say if someone discovered them? On and on. But…when they were in the middle of it, when passion got hold of the good Mr. Gibson as Cornelius knelt behind him buried to the hilt, then Mr. Gibson forgot all about how nervous he was supposed to be. He’d give in and push back into Cornelius breathing like he’d run a mile, begging for more, always more. Harder Cornelius, harder!

Cornelius always gave it to him harder. Cornelius had always given Billy exactly what he needed. Which made all of this even more vexing to him.

_How could you, Billy? Of all the excuses your ridiculous mind came up with, after all your begging, pleading and chasing you blame it all on me._

Hickey wasn’t without enjoyment of their relationship of course. In fact, Billy Gibson was probably the first person in his life that he actually enjoyed keeping company with. Billy didn’t know who he was…before. He only knew him as he was now. Billy was the first relationship of Cornelius’ ‘fresh start’, and it felt so good to not have any past to cover up, someone that didn’t know him from prior wrongdoings. No recognizing him from previous pickpocketings or remembering him from fumblings in alleys. Billy’s eyes lit up when he beheld Cornelius. Billy’s hands touched him reverently and gently. Billy adored him, and Cornelius, much to his chagrin, adored Billy just as much…if not more.

And then things ended up like they always seemed to. Was life a joke at his expense?

Time to stop moping about Mr. Gibson though. If he truly felt he needed to blow off some steam before another go with Crozier, he could stand much too close to Sergeant Tozer and enjoy making him blush and shuffle about. It was only a matter of time before _that_ one was reeled in too. Tozer fancied him, it was obvious. Bless Solly, he tried so hard to hide it. While Billy was now unfortunately off his sexual menu, he felt Solomon Tozer would soon join Captain Crozier on it and that was quite all right by Cornelius Hickey. The more variety the better. 

_Choke on that, Billy!_

Maybe that lout was right. Maybe he already did have all he needed here.

For now.

*

By the time the dinner with James broke up, it was quite late, and most of the ship’s company would be asleep. Francis had the idea to take a ‘tour’ of his ship at night, just to see how it fared. Did he need to present a reason to walk around on his own ship, after all? If he happened to spy Cornelius, that would be a bonus. If he could get Cornelius alone, that would be even better. If he could heave Cornelius over his shoulder and carry him back to his cabin and fuck him all night, that would be the best possible outcome.

As entertaining as that fantasy was though, that would not be a wise course of action in reality, and wouldn’t end well for either of them. As much as he wanted to melt the very ice the ship was mired in making love to Cornelius, he was going to have to control his urges. Walking through the ship hoping for a glance wasn’t too overt. Not at all!

As he walked on unsteady legs along the ship’s bizarrely canting interior, he mused on how he’d gone so long without noticing Hickey. Such an enchanting creature he was! Such a warm and lovely distraction from anything that he wanted to be distracted from. A drink in one hand and this little beauty in the other and there was nothing Francis Crozier couldn’t avoid! This blue-eyed darling was all too happy to jump in his arms too! There were no worries about family lines or appearances or anyone’s breeding. No embarrassing public refusals. No interruptions from nosy relations. Just Francis and Cornelius…and The Terror of course. The Terror would never give up Francis’ secrets. She knew all, and told none, his ally to the end.

Francis chuckled to himself as he stumbled a bit, feeling whiskey-fueled invulnerability and giddy anticipation. Oh the things he’d do to Cornelius Hickey the next time he got him alone. All that warm, soft skin to explore. A taut, firm body to arrange in any position he’d like. He’d bury his face in that flat belly and nuzzle himself breathless. Licking and kissing and sucking and fucking…all this delicious debauchery would have to wait until tomorrow now, but that was fine. They had nothing but time here. As for tonight though, if he could just get one look at…at…

He wandered through the room where the men slumbered in their hammocks. He could hear light snores and breathing. The occasional mutter of sleep-talk. He scanned along until he found what he’d set out to find. He stopped and looked down at his…

_Beauty…there you are, beauty…_

Cornelius, sleeping sweetly on his back. His head was turned slightly to the side and soft, yellow lantern light washed over his fair features. Strands of ginger hair tousled across his forehead and was that a tiny smile on his face? Was he dreaming about what they did together last night at that moment? Hickey moved ever so slightly and the angle of light hit a few strands of his hair just so. They seemed to spark like embers floating through the dark arctic night. The sight sent a spear of yearning so intense and deep through the Captain that he had to take a moment to steady himself. Francis thought if he could wake up to that sight for what life he had left he’d be a happy man. Nothing to be done about it right now though. He needed to move on before he was spotted watching Mr. Hickey sleep. Crozier ambled along aft to his quarters.

Despite the late hour and drink from the dinner earlier and tour around his ship, the Captain was still unable to get to sleep. Even though his eyelids wanted to close, his mind did not. He couldn’t get the sight of Hickey he beheld earlier from his mind. 

He wanted to rouse Jopson at one point and ask him to fetch Mr. Hickey, but decided to suffer through his longing and not press his luck. That would have been a very dangerous move. Jopson was almost as good at keeping secrets as The Terror herself, but even he had his limits. Tomorrow, Francis would try again. He didn’t think he could wait another day longer after that. He needed more of the feeling being with Hickey gave him. That sense of not being himself anymore, of flinging all sense to the wind and just giving in to base urges. Letting things come as they would, regulations be damned. Being younger, before everything became hopeless and complicated. Hickey saw him as the “Captain of a great ship” not a disgrace and a failure. A part of Crozier tried to speak up and tell him to stop fantasizing and cherry-picking reality, but that part was no fun. That part of him was why he was in this mess to begin with! 

Tomorrow, tomorrow…he’d be staring into those eyes again tomorrow. Dear God, those blue eyes. After having another drink or three quietly toasting his new Beauty with each, he went to his cold bed with hot dreams of Cornelius on top of him, riding and grinding and moaning, that sweat-soaked honey-red hair falling down over his eyes. Tomorrow would be another day for pinning his new pretty toy against the wall, or maybe over the table this time or whatever other depraved fantasies he wanted to act out. He didn’t think Mr. Hickey was too particular, and he was definitely willing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Next story is going to get right back into some nasty smut when these two have a round-two throwdown...hang in there!


End file.
